The Taste of Revenge

Pairing: Overall - L. Malfoy/S. Snape; in this chapter - S. Snape interacting with S. Black
Summary: Sirius doesn\'t like it when Lucius spends more time with Severus than with him... Hurt feelings can lead to bitterness, in some people that in turn leads to revenge. And a scorned lover is sure to harbour some vengeful thoughts.
Warnings: Overall - Rough sex, some chapters contains coersion, and some kink. Angst. This chapter: some violence.
Disclaimer: All characters belong to JK Rowling, no copyright infringement is intended. I play with them in my head and for fun; not earning money from sharing it with fanfic readers.


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The Taste of Revenge – Chapter 9

The knock on the door had Severus pause for a moment as he was writing down his latest observations regarding his research. He finished the sentence, not wanting to lose his line of thought, but there it was again – an insistent knock. He sighed and put away the book he had been writing in; he wasn\'t expecting visitors, and in any case, the work he did for the Dark Lord shouldn\'t be lying around in plain view.

He crossed the room and opened the door just as his visitor was about to knock again. Severus arched an eyebrow as he recognised the young man standing in the hallway. Sirius Black. What in the name of Gehenna was he doing there? Severus had no idea, but wouldn\'t let the surprise register on his features. He\'d learned to not show much of his passionate nature and deep emotions around other people, Lucius being the exception.

\"Black.\" Severus met the gaze of the outcast of the prestigious Black family. \"To what do I owe the dubious pleasure of this visit?\"

\"Aren\'t you going to ask me inside?\"

\"Why would I do that?\" Severus crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes boring into Black\'s. He could read that the man had a purpose being there, that he wanted something, had... information...?

\"For old times sake?\" Black smiled in that obnoxious way that Severus was sure the man thought was charming. He wondered briefly how many people in reality had fallen for it.

\"Black, for old times sake, I would slam the door in your face, and you know it.\"

\"Oi! You don\'t even know why I\'m here!\" Black actually looked indignant, and Severus smiled inwardly. Oh yes, the shoe was definitely on the other foot these days.

\"And I\'m not interested in finding out either. Good day, Black. I\'m sure you can find your way out.\" Severus began to close the door, when Black put his hand on it, keeping it open.

\"I know something that I think you would be interested in knowing too.\"

\"I seriously doubt there is anything that you could say that would interest me. Now, I have other things to do.\" Severus sneered slightly at his annoying visitor.

\"Lucius is getting married, isn\'t he?\" Black said quickly, and wetted his lips in a nervous manner.

\"So?\" Severus looked at Black, a small knot forming in his stomach in response to those words. He was not at all happy about the Malfoy heir\'s impeding wedding, but it hadn\'t been a surprise. He came from a pureblood family as well, fully aware of the traditions and the duties of a male heir.

\"Can I come in? I\'m sure you don\'t want to discuss your ... erm ... relationship with him out on the landing.\" Black looked a little unsure of himself for a moment, his gaze flickering slightly.

Severus sighed and took a step to the side, letting Black in. He closed the door as he watched the dark-haired young man step inside the main room of his flat. It wasn\'t big, but it was all that he needed really – a small bedroom, a combination living room and study, and a small kitchen. Severus spent most of his time either in the facilities that Lord Voldemort had provided for him, for his research, or with Lucius, so the small London flat was more than adequate. It had provided him with privacy, at least up until that moment.

He wondered slightly just how much Black knew about his relationship with Lucius, and the nature of it. As Black flopped down into the couch, there was an unmistaken glint of mischief in his eyes that Severus had seen many times before. Usually, it had been accompanied by either Black or Potter casting jinxes or hexes at him. Not so this time though; Black still hadn\'t drawn his wand. Could it be that the boy had become civilised when growing up to a man?

\"Why don\'t you get to the point, since you are so eager to share whatever information it is that you have?\" Severus let the annoyance he felt creep into his voice, and he got the satisfaction of seeing how surprised Black was at the tone, even getting slightly uncomfortable for a few seconds. There was no eagerness to find out, no curiosity, something that Black apparently had thought he could awaken. Amazing that anything had any effect at all on that man, Severus thought and crossed his arms again.

\"Well, as I said, Lucius is getting married... to my dear cousin Narcissa.\" Black smiled, but Severus could clearly read the dislike that the man had for her. It was strange in a way how someone who was a blood traitor could have the audacity to feel contempt toward his betters. But that was of course in line with the rest of Black\'s personality.

\"Yes, I am fully aware of this fact. I do know the man.\"

\"Yes, yes... I know. And I know just how well you know him. How... intimately.\" Black threw another, strained, smile at Severus, his mind flashing with memories of what he\'d seen in the garden at the Manor. These were images accompanied by strong emotions, and Severus had no problem picking up on the echoes of them, even without using the full Legillimens charm. So, Black had been spying on them, and there was jealousy? That explained a lot.

\"I don\'t think that Lucius ever told you, but before he started fucking you, I was his lover.\" Severus noticed the difference in the choice of words even through the growing apprehension he felt. He didn\'t like the thought of Lucius having had any intimate contact with this man, not one bit. But, it did explain several things, for instance why Black had hated him so in school. Jealousy, the oldest of motives; not such a big mystery then. Severus studied Black, wondering where this was leading.

\"I have never cared about his earlier bed mates. They are of no importance... Or perhaps he never did take you to his bed, hm?\" There was a cold look in Severus\' eyes.

\"Oh, he did actually. Until you turned up. Then we decided to take a break,\" Black said and shrugged.

Severus frowned slightly. \"And what has all of this got to do with me? Apart from you revealing exactly why you have always been such an annoying prick.\"

Black grinned slightly, he found it amusing to know that Snape had in fact found him really obnoxious and horrible; that had after all been the purpose. \"The break is about to end.\"

\"End?\"

\"Yeah, and where will that leave you, Snivellus? I\'ll tell you where, alone, that\'s where.\"

\"That\'s not \'where\', that\'s \'what\'.\"

\"Doesn\'t matter, Lucius will leave you as soon as those wedding bells are ringing, and do you know why?\" Black leaned forward, feeling pleased with himself. \"Because I will be family. It\'s so much easier to hide one\'s perverted little lusts when the partner in crime is close enough to come and go as he wants.\"

\"Preferring one\'s own gender is not a crime in the Wizarding World,\" Severus replied automatically, correcting Black again. He held his emotions under strict control, not showing anything to Black, not really letting himself feel them fully either. He didn\'t dare to, or Black would have to be fitted for a coffin.

\"True... just a manner of speaking, you know. Anyway... I thought that you deserved to know, so Lucius didn\'t just walk out on you without you getting an explanation.\" Black smirked and leaned back again. \"He does have a fucking nice cock; I\'ve missed it, I have to admit.\"

\"Get out!\"

Black looked up at Severus, who was still standing. He knew that he\'d found the sore spot, the opening in the defences. \"Aww, and here I thought we could compare experiences. I mean, I\'m sure you know how good it feels when he fucks you hard from behind... and that deep groan when he comes, man, that\'s just...\"

\"Get out!\" Severus roared and grabbed Black\'s robes, pulling him to his feet. \"You disgusting little werewolf-fucking creep!\"

\"Hey, I\'m not fucking any werewolves, and it\'s not my fault if Lucius hasn\'t been honest to...\" Black fell silent as Severus pressed the wand he\'d quickly whipped out against his throat.

\"You should be happy that I\'m not killing you right here, right now,\" Severus growled in a low voice, his eyes black with hatred.

Black nodded slowly; this was not part of the plan. It had been one of the risks, but he hadn\'t thought that Snape would react quite as violently. \"Hey, I\'m sorry... you know...\"

\"You are not capable of regret, you little cockroach. A blood traitor like you would do well to tread carefully from now on.\" Severus pushed Black toward the door. If he had to spend another minute in the presence of this man, he knew that he\'d lose his temper for real.

\"What\'s that supposed to mean?\" asked Black quickly.

Severus slammed Black against the wall next to the door, so hard that the paintings rattled. \"It means,\" he said, his voice carrying a cold, dangerous note to it, \"that the next time I see you, you\'re fair game.\" He gripped over Black\'s throat, hard enough to make it hurt and constrain the flow of blood slightly. Then he drew his knee up sharply, landing it squarely between Black\'s, making the man double over in pain. He opened the door and pushed Black out in to the hallway, and further toward the stairs.

\"Don\'t ever set your foot here again.\" Black didn\'t reply, too busy cradling his groin, his breathing still laboured after the shock of the pain. Severus gave him a cold, cruel smile and simply pushed the man down the stairs, turning away as he heard him tumble and fall. It would be a service to society if Black were to break his neck.

Severus returned to his rooms and closed the door silently behind him, his movements carefully controlled. He needed a drink now, and he needed to think. And perhaps he also needed to get rid of some excess aggression...

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Severus spent the next two days away from Lucius, in his rooms in London. From time to time, he looked at where Black had been sitting while telling his abominable \'news\'. He\'d looked as handsome and elegant as ever... and what had he, Severus, in comparison? What did he have that could compete with good looks and charm and family ties? Black hadn\'t said it, not during his brief visit, but Severus had heard the words coming from the man\'s mouth often enough over the years. He was ugly. Tall, lean and hook-nosed... His hair lacked lustre, and even though he washed it every morning it still looked bad after just a few hours. So what did Lucius see in him?

Perhaps it was their minds that had pulled them together; Lucius had always enjoyed his company, discussing things. But that didn\'t mean that he always enjoyed having sex with him, or that he would continue to do that.

Jealousy and a feeling of already being beaten at the game filled Severus. Dark thoughts grew in his mind - so many questions and doubts. Had Lucius planned to walk out on him without saying anything, so long after Severus had revealed his true emotions to him? Black could of course be lying through his teeth, the question was why he would. What did he have to gain?

The longer Severus mulled these thoughts over... and over, the darker his mood became. Lucius had gained what he\'d been after; Severus had joined the Dark Lord, had shared his research with him and was a part of working towards Lord Voldemort\'s goals. It made Severus feel used, and the suspicion that Lucius had turned his insecurities and feeling of short-comings against him, controlling him through them grew larger, until it was suspicion no more, but certainty. Finally, he decided that he would not be the one who was being abandoned, left standing alone. Better than to be hurt was to take his destiny into his own hands.

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Severus apparated to the Malfoy Manor, and told the house elf that tried to be polite to him to announce his presence to Lucius while he walked to the rooms that the Malfoy heir held.

When he opened the door, Lucius stepped toward him, a warm smile on his face. It faltered though, when there was no response from Severus. He looked into his lover\'s dark eyes and felt nothing. Where there should have been a connection, emotions, faint echoes of thoughts, there was a blank wall.

\"Severus? What is wrong?\" Lucius\' blue eyes showed concern, and he kept his shields down. Not that Severus was aware of that, since he didn\'t want to look, didn\'t want to see the deceit in Lucius\' mind now that he was certain it was there.

\"I think it\'s time that we stop seeing each other. I have no more use for these lies that we are telling each other.\" Severus sounded cold and detached, as cold as he felt inside. \"It was nice while it lasted, but we\'re adults and boyish romances have no place in life.\"

Lucius stared at Severus, hardly believing what he was hearing. Severus was breaking it off? He was leaving him? The distance between them was accentuated by the lack of mental and emotional contact, the shield that Severus had erected standing as a barrier between them.

Severus looked at Lucius. He saw the surprise on his face, the consternation, and was that even a flicker of pain? No, surely not. The high and mighty Lucius Malfoy had planned to leave him from the first time he had seduced him, so it was most likely just that the tables were turned that was the surprise. Instead of Lucius leaving the poor and unattractive Severus Snape, he was the one leaving. That was surely a hard blow to the aristocrat\'s ego.

\"Severus...\" Lucius lifted his hand to touch Severus\' shoulder, but he let it fall to his side again when Severus took a step back, away from him. \"Don\'t do this...\" There was a note of anger in his voice, revealing the emotion that rapidly developed inside him.

\"Grow up, Lucius. You\'re getting married, you have no further interest in me, and quite frankly, I\'m tired of being used.\" There were things that Severus wanted to tell Lucius, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep his detached and unemotional state. He would have to leave, very soon, or he would fall apart. And that was something that he refused to do in front of this man.

\"I\'m getting married, but I still want you.\" Lucius didn\'t like having to convince Severus, especially since the man seemed to have made up his mind. After all this time together, Lucius wasn\'t supposed to have to prove his feelings to him.

\"The game is over, Malfoy. I\'m not as stupid as you apparently must have thought me to be.\" With that, Severus turned on his heel and walked out of Lucius\' rooms, out of the Manor, out into the garden...

He apparated home, and spent the rest of the day and the long hours of the evening trying to drink himself into oblivion. There was no relief to be found in the bottle, but that didn\'t stop Severus from trying.

He was alone now, truly alone. He had thought that he\'d found love, but all that he could see now was that it had been nothing but a pretty illusion woven by the clever intellect of Lucius Malfoy. Severus saw how he had been too susceptible to the tempting promises that Voldemort had made, and since there seemed to have been no truth to Lucius\'... to Malfoy\'s whispered words of love, there was surely no truth to be found in the Dark Lord\'s rhetoric. Severus felt that he had been used, in more ways than one, and the anger over his own stupidity tore him apart just as much as the grief over the love lost did.

Was there anyone he could turn to? Anyone he could trust? And had he done the right thing? As the contents of the bottle diminished so did the hope inside Severus as well.